How Many Tools of Repression Will the Next President Inherit?

Will our next president be able to indefinitely detain people without charge? Waterboard – or worse – with impunity? Stifle social movements they don’t like? Read our emails, track our movements, break into our devices? Amp up police militarization? Use counter-terrorism as an excuse to quash dissent?

How much repression are we being set up for?

No matter who the next President is, it’s just basic housekeeping not to leave behind a lot of tools they can abuse.

*And that’s where you and I come in. This is crunch time for our movement.*

Together, we must nail into place what reforms we can, and build the movement that will deny additional tools of repression to the new administration.

Before the election, we need to set the stage for the next administration so it doesn’t run roughshod over the Bill of Rights. That means we must:

Force Congress to hold the FBI and Department of Homeland Security accountable for monitoring and harassment of social movements

Prevent this administration from expanding surveillance authorities, from encryption back doors to “stingrays” to the Countering Violent Extremism program

Rollback law enforcement and intelligence agencies’ focus on legal, First Amendment protected activity as a basis for suspicion

Force the Obama administration to release the Senate torture report.

Pass, and get signed, legislation to reform the freedom of information act and to protect FBI and Intelligence Community whistleblowers

That’s in Washington.

Outside the beltway, it’s all about movement building: Our field organizers and legal fellows have provided crucial support to local coalitions around the country who are building the movement to fulfill the promise of the Bill of Rights for everyone, from the ground up.